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PETALING JAYA: The UK government has confirmed that the Pfizer / BioNtech Covid-19 vaccine does not contain components of animal origin.
The vaccine, which received emergency clearance in early December, has already reached selected recipients designated in high-risk categories, such as those over 80 in hospitals, front-line health workers and home-based workers.
Posted on the official UK government website, the information provided by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency provides a complete ingredient list, which does not include any substances of animal origin.
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has said the government could start administering the Pfizer / BioNtech vaccine from February, saying he would be one of the first to take it in hopes that others will be convinced of its safety and efficacy.
The vaccine, which uses pioneering mRNA technology never before adopted in a vaccine, involves injecting recipients with the information the body needs to reproduce the “spike protein” similar to that found on the surface of the virus responsible for Covid. -19, which activates an immune system. response and production of antibodies.
Religious bodies and the public have raised questions about the halal status of vaccines purchased by the Malaysian government, and Chief Health Officer Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that halal certification would be ideal but not required for registration. local.
“If they can get halal certified, that would be better, but we don’t register drugs based on halal status. We also register non-halal drugs, ”Noor Hisham told The Straits Times of Singapore.
So far Malaysia has reached agreements to vaccinate 40% of the population for free, with 20% coming from Pfizer / BioNtech and 10% courtesy of the Covax and AstraZeneca facilities.
The government is also in final negotiations with China-based Sinovac and CanSino and Russia’s Gamaleya Institute to secure additional vaccine supplies.
In total, the government has said that there will be enough vaccines for more than 80% of the population at a cost of RM2.05 billion.
Meanwhile, a policy report from the Galen Center for Health and Social Policy has recommended that Malaysia’s immunization program prioritize groups that are at highest risk of infection, progression to serious illness and death.
These include those over the age of 60, those with pre-existing medical conditions such as cancer and heart disease, people in settings with a high risk of transmission, such as detention centers and dormitories, and those in the essential services sector such as police and sanitation personnel. . workers.
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